Shock absorber



Nov. I5, 1927.

W. G. COX

SHOCK ABsoRBER Filed Nov. 29. 192e 3 srvee's-sheef 2 W- E-EX Nov. 15, 1927. f

W. G. COX

SHOCK ABSORBER s sheets-shewv s Filed Nov. 29. 1926 vwzntoz W E' EUX attenua Patented Nov. 15, 19271.

STATES wrnnraia e. cox, on cLnvnLaNn, onto.

SHOCK ABSORBER.

lApplication led November' 29, 1926. Serial No. 151,421.

My invention relates to shock absorbers for automobiles, and the present device embodies certain new and useful improvements in the shock absorber for which i filed an application 'for patent on the 15th day ot iiarch, 1926, oerial No. 94,753, all substantially 'as herein shot-:n and described and more particularly pointed out in the claims. in general the nbjects oi these improvements are to facilitate the manufacture ot such a device, to promote the assembly and disassembly et the parts and adjustment thereof, to foster convenient attachment of thedevice to a car, to reduce the cost, to maintain straight alignment of the belt and prevent wear and tear thereof, and to eil'ect noiseless' operation.

ln the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a `ltional view ot trie device aiilxed to the .-de oil a chassis 'traine member. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the double belt, and Fig. B is an elevation oi a` part of said belt showingthe wire loop tor linking the two plies slidably together. Fig. 4 is a sectional view sa vertically oi the device in the plane oi its fastening and supporting bolt. Figs. 5 to 13, inclusive, are side and sectional views of the several parts separated, Fig. 5v showing *le supporting bolt secured to a chassis .we ine member, Fig. 6 showing the stationbralre drun and plate, Fig. 7 illustrating the sound-deadening washer used within the drum member, 8 showing theretrieving spring and its cage, Fig. 9 representing the sound-deadening washer used inside the casing, Fig. 10 showing the cover or casine, Fig. 11 delineating the springwinding arbor, and Figs. 12 and 13 picturing` the locking spring and nut, respectively. Fig. 14 is a sectional view of the device on line 14-14 oi Fig. 1. Fig. 15 isa rear view of the dished supporting plate'and Fig. 16 a sectional view thereotl apart from the brake drum. 17 is a sectional view and Fig.

trom the dished plate.

My improved device comprises an independent bolt i2 which is screw-threaded at its opposite ends` and formed with a flat Ysided enlargement or square collar 3 intermediate the threaded portions. This bolt is clamped rigidly to the channeled side member 4 of a chassis 'tr-ame, or to a bracket secured to saidrame or other fixed part of 57' above a wheel axle therein, by means oi nuts 5, as shown in Fig. 5. All the other parts 18 a iront view of the brale'drum separated the automobile of the device are adapted to be removably secured tobolt 2, and such parts may be assembled and separated very readily in orderly array or sequence 'as indicated in Figs. 5 to 13. Thus a iianged brake drum D made in twosections 6 and 7 is first sleeved over bolt Section 6 is a dished plate pressed iroin sheet metal and riveted to section 7 which is a' dished cylindrical body also" drawn or stamped trom sheetmetal. Plate 6 has a square opening 8 at its center adapted Yto fit the square enlargement 3 on bolt- 2, and the sidesot the opening may be flanged outwardlyto promote' locking 'and prevent Ythe plate from turning on the bolt. `Conversely whenplate 6 'is iiXed against rotation thev bolt itself will be held against rotation. Rotatable movement of the plate and cylinder is prevented in a simpler and eiective way when the plate is sleeved over the bolt into engagement with the vertical wallr or chassis member 4. Thus an arm 9 at the rear oi". the cylinder projects through a slot or opening 10 in plate 6, thereby locking the parts together and permitting the armA to engage the bottom of chassis member 4. `As shown arm 9 is an integral part of the rear wall 11 ci' cylinder 7, but it may be a separate piece riveted or fastened in some other rigid manner to one of the sections. Preferably arm 9 is stamped from wall 11,and bent outwardly at right angles thereto, and it is also pressed into acurved shape transversely tol stitfen it andfto correspond with the arc shape of opening 10 in plate 6. Consequently when plate 6 and cylinder 7 are assembled the arm projects beyond the rear face oiLl plate 6 where it vmay Contact directly with the bottom edge oi frame member 4 or a fixed part thereof, thereby preventing the drum from rotating on or with bolt 2 while the arcuate shape of arm 9 provides sharp angular gripping and seating edges for the arm against-member 4.v

The means for clamping plate 6 and cylinder 7 against frame member 4 consists of a tubular spring-winding arbor 14 sleeved loosely overbolt 2 together' with a lock nut 15 having screw engagement with the outer screw-threaded extremity of said bolt. Thus 'when lock nut 15 is screwed tightly against the outer tace of the hexagonal enlargement 16 ot arbor 14 the beaded or rounded flange portion 17 of dished plate6 is pressed tightly against theoutertace of frame member 4 while the central dished area of the plate is lll spaced apart therefrom so that it may bend or flex slightly under severe screw pressure and a spring clamping effect may be produced. However, the dished wall of plate 6 is formed with parallel ribs 12 adjacent the edges of openings 8 and 10 to re-enforce the plate and prevent buckling thereof, and arbor 14 d-oes not engage plate 6 directly but is made to bear against and interlock with a series of radial teeth 18 in wall 11 of cylinder '7. The said teeth 18 are formed by stamping a cross-shaped bolt opening 19 in the center of wall 11 contiguous to the inner end of the slot or opening 2O which is produced in stamping arm 9 from said wall. Opening 19 is in the shape of a Maltese cross; as a result four flat teeth 18 are provided having straight edges radially in respect to the axis of bolt 2 and arbor 14, and the inner end of arbor 14 is formed with four ratchet teeth 21 adapted to enter the radial recesses between teeth 1S and to engage the edges thereof with self-locking and self-releasing effect. That is, arbor 14 may be locked against rotation in one direction but is otherwise free to disengage itself from teeth 18providing lock nut 15 at the outer end of bolt 2 is loosened or removed to permit arbor 14 to have a limited longitudinal 'f Lnoveinent on the bolt during rotative movements of the arbor in a spring-winding direction. A compression spring 22 is mounted within a recess in the outer end of arbor 14 to hold the ratchet teeth 21 in yielding en- Cagement with teeth 18 when nut 15 is partly retired to permit arbor 14 to shift longitudinally on bolt 2.

A spiral spring 28 is mounted upon arbor 14 which is channeled or grooved lengthwise thereof to `receive the hook-shaped end 24 of the inner coil of the spring. The outer coil of the spring is valso formed with a hookshaped extremity 25 adapted to engage an inwardly bent lip 26 on the circular wall 0f a flanged cup or cage 27 for the spring. An arm 2S extends horizontally from the lianged part of the cup or cage 27, and this arm .overlaps the periphery of cylinder D and is 1n eect a mere extension of the outer coil of spring 23 to permit belt 29 to be connected thereto. Thus belt or band 29 runs over the drum or cylinder, one end being connected to the axle of the car while its opposite or free end is connected. to arm 28 which is rigidly connected to the last coil of spiral spring 23. Cage 27 is entirely free to rotate apart from the drum or cylinder and does not engage or bear against it at any time, nor does this cage engage with or have rotatable bearing on arbor 14. It acts merely as a retainer and belt connection for the spring.

Belt or band 29 may be made of any suitable fiexible material, such as the known woven bralrelining materials which have been treated to prolong wear and to promote a smooth and noiseless braking action. One or iii-ore plies of this treated material may be used, preferably a plurality of separate plies formed by folding or doubling the stock upon itself. The doubled end forms a loop 3l) which provides a simple means in itself for connecting the belt to arm 28, and a folded strip 31 of thin sheet metal is inserted within the loop and the ends thereof riveted to each other and to the overlapping plies to strengthen and protect the loop and to permit the belt to be freely slipped upon arm 28 prior to introducing the spiral retrieving spring into drum or cylinder D. The belt passes only part way around the cylindrical surface of drum D, say one-half to threequarters turn around the drum, and thence extends on a straight line to the axle, and both plies may be attached to the axle if desired. However, I prefer to attach only one ply to the axle and make the other Vor inner ply shorter and to link the free end of the shorter ply iu slidable connection with the other ply by means of a loop member 32, which in the present instance, is made of wire riveted at its opposite ends to the short ply near its extremity. Loop member 32 provides a connection for the two plies which permits a creeping movementto take place between them while the belt is passing around the drum in either direction.

ils/hen the several parts of the device are assembled the annular flange 33 on housing 27 prevents belt 29 from shifting laterally in one direction, and the dished central part of plate 6 prevents it from shifting laterally in the opposite direction. Plate 6 is also dished or projected inwardly a substantial distance so that its facey lies in a different vertical plane than the edge of the reverted border porti-on or curled flange 34 of said plate. The dished area of the plate therefore guides belt 29 in a straightvline and keeps it always apart from the edge of said flange 34, thereby preventingthe belt edge from fraying as the belt travels bac-k and forth from the drum 0r cylinder through an opening 35 in the dome or cover 36, see Fig` 14. A forwardly-projecting flange 34 on plate 6 `is useful as it permits the circular edge 37 on cover 36 to be easily seated and se-r curely confined in a rotatable position therein with flange 34 overlapping edge 37 of the cover, In this way the cover may be clamped tightly against the plate by applying pres-- sure centrally to its front wall 38, and the circular edge 37 is enclosed and locked in place without other fastening means. l/Vall 38 of cover 36 partly recessed and has a central opening' adapted to receive the re duced cylindrical part of arbor 14, thereby permitting the enlargement 16 on the arbor to press against saidv wall with clamping effect, and as cover 36 is made of sheet meta] spect to belt 29. The

wall 38 will flex or spring inwardly when enO'aO'ed b enlarvement 16 during lonG'i-- D D D b C plate 6 by a central tightening pressure as described herein Venables the 'cover to be readily turned in .either direction sok that opening may be properly located in refront edge of the belt is prevented from fraying in passing through opening` 35 by an inwardly curled flange 40 in the circular wall of cover 36 at the front end of opening 35, see Fig. 14n.

Curledrflange 40 also serves another purpose, that of holding a fiat ring Ll1 of fiber, felt or other sound-deadening material within cover 35 between its dished front wa'll 38 and flange 33 on the spring cup or cage 27, thus preventing the metal parts from coming into noisy rubbing contact with each other. Ay similar sound-deadening ring Ll2 is interposed between the inner wall 1l of cylinder 7 and wall 43 of cup 27, so that thecup will oscillate silently if spring 23 should for any reason shift toward wall 11. Y

When the device is installed upon a vehicle, the retracting spring 23 is under tension at al'l times and adapted to take up the slack in the belt or'band whenever the body of the vehicle is depressed or the axle is raised. Under such conditions the belt or band slips freely around the drum. Upon a sudden rebound of the body or sudden drop of the axle, the belt. or band and its retracting spring produce inore or less of a braking action in their travel around the drum, thereby preventing sudden upthrow of the vehicle body, or in other'words, checking and dampening the rebound of the vehicle body and springs. The braking action varies as the contact surface between the belt or band and the drum varies. Thus as the intensity of the shocks increaseor decrease a corresponding increase or decrease of braking action takes place. l do not claim that such proportional braking of the rebound in a motor vehicle is a new or original idea in view of the prior patent to T. Veitch, No. 910,974-, dated January 26,1909, but confine my claims to the improvements shown and described herein and any inechan ical and obvious equivalents thereof.

Yilhat I claim, is:

1. A, shock absorber for spring vehicles, comprising a druin containing a spring and a cage for the spring, and a double belt ldetachab'ly connected with said cagel and passing around said drum.

Q.. A shock absorber, comprising a drum 39-59 of opening 35 in cover `ogether with a belt and a retricverspring, folded uponl itself and riveted where folded to provide a closed connecting loop for the spring, said loop having a re-enforceinent lining therein.

3. A' shock a belt having a short ply folded inwardly and engaging the friction face of said drum and slidably connected at its extremity to the main body of said belt beyond the drum, a retriever spring connected to said belt.

Ll. A shock absorber, comprising a drum, a belt doubled upon itself and riveted together to forin a closed loop and separate long and snort plies, means securing the free end of the' short ply in slidable connection with the long ply, the' short ply passing around and engaging the face of said drum, and a retriever spring connected to the closed loopof said belt. f

5. A shock absorber, comprising a drum, a

belt doubled upon itselfto provide a loop therein and short and long plies, said plies being riveted t gether at the loop and having a link member connecting the free end of thel short ply s'lidably to the long ply, and a retriever spring connected to the loopof said belt.

6. i shock absorber, comprising a drum, a belt doubled upon itself andfproviding separate long and short plies, the short ply having a free end extending apart from the drum, a inetal liningwithin the double end of said belt, and a i'etrieverspring having a connection extending through said metal lining.

T. A shock absorber, kcomprising a cylinder, a backing plate for said cylinder havingA a dished area and av reverted border edgek providing an annular depression in a vertical plane rearwardly of the dished part of said plate, a belt upon said drum withheld apart from said reverted border edge by said dished area, a cover having a circular edge seated within said depression and formed with an opening through which said belt is adapted to extend, and means adapted to clamp said cover against said plate.

S. A shock absorber, comprisinga cylindei, a belt around said cylinder, a retrieve-r spring to which said belt is connected, a cover enclosing said parts having an opening for said belt, one edge of said opening being curled inwardly toward the front Wall of said cover, and a sound-deadening inember secured by said curled edge between said cover and spring.

9. A shock absorber, comprising a cylinder and a. separate backing plate therefor having registering bolt openings centrally therein, and a supporting bolt for said parts extending through said openings, said plate having an aperture and said cylinder having an arm extending through said aperture to permit the cylinder to be aiiixed in a. nonabsorber, comprising a drum, f

and

loo

lll)

rotatable position upon the bolt and a support for the bolt.

l0. A shock absorber', coniprising a cylinder having an ond Wall, an arm pressed outwardly iroin said wall, a supporting plate i'or said cylinder having an aperture or said arin, a supporting bolt extending centrally through said cylinder and plate, a belt tor said cylinder, and a retriever spring connected lwith said belt and bolt.

ll. A shock absorber', comprising a circular supporting plate, a. cylinder' having an arin extending through said plate adapted to lool; said cylinder and plate together, said arni extending beyond the rear tace of said plate torperinit said parts to be fixed in a non-rotatable posit-ion on a supporting-member, an attachment bolt Jfor said plate and cylinder', a brake band upon said cylinder, a retriever spring and a cage therefor connected With said band, a spring-Winding arbor upon said bolt, and nieans for clamping said arbor, and drinn rigidi)7 together.

l2. A shock absorber, comprising a cylinder having a flat end Wall frein which the stock has been stamped out to forni a crossshaped bolt opening at its center, a supporting attachment bolt for said Cylinder' eX- tending through said openii'ig, a spring- Winding arbor upon said bolt having teeth adapted to interlock with the edges ot said cross-shaped opening, a retriever spring connected With said arbor, a brake belt upon said cylinder connected to said spring, and means adapted to lclamp said arbor and cylinder together.

13. A shock absorber, comprising a separate cylinder and backing plate having registering openings centrally thereof adapted to receive a bolt; one opening being of angular outline and the other of irregular outline il'orn'iing border teeth, a bolt having an angular portion adapted to lit said angular opening, a spring-Winding arbor having teetl'i adapted to interlock with said border teeth, a retriever spring connected to said arbor, a belt on said cylinder connected to said spring, and a nut on said bolt adapted to lock said arbor. V

la. A shock absorber, comprising a sheet inetal plate having a central dished area iforined with parallel ribs-and a central bolt opening and a slot, a c vliiidrical drinn having an end Wall torined with a toothed opening adapted rto register With said central opening and provided With an adapted to project through said slot, a corninon supporting bolt l'or said plate and drum, a spiiiig-\viiicliiig arbor on said bolt having teeth adapted to interlock With the teeth formed in said Wall, a retriever spring connected with said arbor a belt on said drinn connected with said spring, and means-adapted to lock said arbor on said bolt.

15. A shock absorber, comprising a Cylindrical drinn having a flat end Wall from which the stock has been stamped out to provide a central opening corresponding in shape to the outline of a. Maltese cross, an attachment boit for the shock absorber extending throngh said opening, a spring- Winding arbor on said bolt having teeth adapted to interlock with the edges of said cross-shaped opening, a retriever spring connected to said arbor, a belt on said druin eonnected with said spring, and a nut on said bolt adapted to lock said arbor and drum together.

in testimony whereof I aiix my signature.

VULLIAM Gr. COX. 

